Celestial | When Among Crows

When Among Crows

Veronica Roth

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When Among Crows is swift and striking, drawing from the deep well of Slavic folklore and asking if redemption and atonement can be found in embracing what we most fear.

We bear the sword, and we bear the pain of the sword. Pain is Dymitr’s calling. His family is one in a long line of hunters who sacrifice their souls to slay monsters. Now he’s tasked with a deadly mission: find the legendary witch Baba Jaga. To reach her, Dymitr must ally with the ones he’s sworn to kill.

Pain is Ala’s inheritance. A fear-eating zmora with little left to lose, Ala awaits death from the curse she carries. When Dymitr offers her a cure in exchange for her help, she has no choice but to agree.

Together they must fight against time and the wrath of the Chicago underworld. But Dymitr’s secrets—and his true motives—may be the thing that actually destroys them.

“Lovely, lush, and full of otherworldly longing, this modern fairytale about righteousness and the weight we bear for love is Roth at her most imaginative and ethereal.” —Olivie Blake, New York Times bestselling author of The Atlas Six

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Posts about this title from Celestial

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Feb 10

fantasy creatures!

💭 what magical creatures do you wish you saw more of in fantasy books?

give me a unique beast any day of the week!

📚 books mentioned: - Pet by Akwaeke Emezi - When Among Crows by Veronica Roth - The Devourers by Indra Das

👗💄: - dress is from Amy Jane London (rented from Nuuly) and corset is from Scarlet Darkness - eyeshadow is The Spring Symphony Palette from Dandy Lion Cosmetics - eyeshadow shimmer is eyeshadow single (Sparkle Puff) from Half Magic - lip combo is Suede Matte Lip Liner (Moonwalk) from NYX Cosmetics and Maracuja Juicy Lip Plump (Dragonfruit) from Tarte Cosmetics - (also if you have a question about my makeup or something i’m wearing, most of it is curated in my shopmy!)

thank you to Tor Books for the gifted copy!

#fantasybooks #fantasycreatures #fantasybookrecs #nycinfluencer #bookstagram @knopfyoungreaders @torbooks @delreybooks @amyjanelondon @scarletdarkness_brand @scarletdarkness_official @dandylionsco @halfmagicbeauty @nyxcosmetics @tartecosmetics

fantasy books • fantasy creatures • fantasy beasts and monsters • books with mythology • unique fantasy books • fantasy book recs • diverse books • Knopf Books for Young Readers • Del Rey

3 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Sep 13 2025

recommending books using their opening lines!!

📚 books mentioned: - Womb City by Tlotlo Tsamaase - The Stardust Grail by Yume Kitasei - The Unfinished by Cheryl Isaacs - Heavyweight by Solomon J. Brager - Island Witch by Amanda Jayatissa - The Maiden and Her Monster by Maddie Martinez - Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah - When Among Crows by Veronica Roth - The Ghosts of Rose Hill by R.M. Romero

👗💄: - sweat set is from @comfrt - (also if you have a question about my makeup or something i’m wearing, most of it is curated in my shopmy!)

thank you to Flatiron Books, Heartdrum, William Borrow, Berkley, Tor Books, and Peachtree Teen for the gifted copies!

#bookrecsfromfirstlines #bookfirstlines #firstlines #fantasybooks #horrorbooks #scifibooks #BerkleyPartner #starrysteph #nycinfluencer #diversebookstagram #nycbookstagram #bookstagram @erewhonbooks @flatiron_books @harpercollins @williammorrowbooks @berkleypub @torbooks @marinerbooks @peachtreeteen

9 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Aug 2 2025

fantasy books without spice (and minimal romance overall)!

but i know people will still ask if there’s spice every darn time. 😭

📚 books mentioned: - To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose - The Ballad of Perilous Graves by Alex Jennings - May a Divine Awaken by Michael Tinsley - The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong - The Undetectables by Courtney Smyth - Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko - The Pomegranate Gate by Ariel Kaplan - Thistlefoot by GennaRose Nethercott - The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar - The First Bright Thing by J.R. Dawson - When Among Crows by Veronica Roth - Dragonfruit by Makiia Lucier - Somadina by Akwaeke Emezi - Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger - The Women Could Fly by Megan Giddings

#fantasybooks #fantasybookrecs #favoritefantasybooks #noromancebooks #nospicebooks #isitspicy #starrysteph #nycinfluencer #bookstagram #nycbookstagram

14 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • May 11 2025

achillean sci fi & fantasy books that you simply MUST check out!!

achillean sci fi & fantasy books that you simply MUST check out!! do it, okay??

📚 books mentioned: - When Among Crows by Veronica Roth - Ocean’s Godori by Elaine U. Cho - A Song of Salvation by Alechia Dow

thank you to Tor Books, Zando Books, and Inkyard Press/Epic Reads for the gifted copies!

#achilleanbooks #scifibooks #sciencefictionbooks #fantasybooks #fantasybookrecs #starrysteph #nycinfluencer #bookstagram #queerbooks @torbooks @zandoprojects @epicreads

3 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Sep 14 2024

one star reviews of books i loved!

which one convinced you the most? 😭 part sixteen of one star goodreads reviews of books i enjoyed!

10 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Sep 7 2024

august wrap up!

you heard it here first (well probably not, but that’s fine) … it’s SEPTEMBER!!! the good part of the year starts NOW!!

so here’s an august reading wrap up - i read 9 books last month, and i’m sharing a speedy reaction to them all.

6 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Aug 9 2024

readathon round up

what’s that? you’re RUNNING to join my Discord so we can readathon together next time? yippeeeeeee - the more the merrier!

2 books

Posts about this book from across Bindery

chronicallybookish\ \ Kaley\ \ • Jul 16

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reading a novella in one sitting!

How many pages can you read in an hour? 📖

I do not know what other plane of existence I ascended to in order to accomplish this, all I know is that this book was SO GOOD! I’m truly impressed by how much world building, plot, and character development Veronica Roth squished into this tiny little guy. Book two is a NEED!

#booktok #bookreels #fantasybookstagram #readingvlog #readwithme @tordotcompub @torbooks

1 book

Two Stories Bookshop\ \ Queer-Owned Shelves🌈\ \ • May 11

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Alright. Most of us have probably read Divergent. Maybe even the rest of the series. I stopped after Insurgent because like, mental illness was kicking my ass at the time, but I'm about to do a read with a Discord group I'm in and I'm pumped. Not to mention The Sixth Faction coming out later this year? Sign me up. \ \ Tomorrow, May 12, is the release date for Seek the Traitor's Son by Veronica Roth. This. Book. If you read romantasy, you'll probably enjoy it. Let me speak now to those who do not typically read romantasy. A lot of you know that romance on main is not my vibe, certainly not if it's straight romance. But I was so entranced by the other aspects of this world that Veronica Roth created (the actual world, the cultures, the politics, everything) that the romance came second for me. It's dystopian, it's magical, and it's something I firmly believe you should add to your TBR. I rated it 5/5 stars. I had a great time with it and literally couldn't put it down (read almost the majority of it in 5.5 hours). \ \ But I'm also on my Veronica Roth journey. See, I do this thing where I get really into an author's work and have to read all of their backlist before moving on. So. I've just read Carve the Mark, a YA book. Again, YA is not really my jam, but I ate. This. Up. Literally couldn't put it down! I already bought The Fates Divide so I could immediately finish the duology. I'm also working on To Clutch a Razor, which is the sequel to When Among Crows (another book of hers I adored). Chosen Ones and Poster Girl are also on deck. \ \ All this to say: if you're looking for something with rich world building, I highly suggest you check her work out. \ \ New release post coming tomorrow! Till next time! \ \ -Ryn

So We Need to Talk About Veronica Roth...

10 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Feb 10

fantasy creatures!

💭 what magical creatures do you wish you saw more of in fantasy books?

give me a unique beast any day of the week!

📚 books mentioned: - Pet by Akwaeke Emezi - When Among Crows by Veronica Roth - The Devourers by Indra Das

thank you to Tor Books for the gifted copy!

3 books

Enchanted Echoes\ \ Deirdre\ \ • Feb 3

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2026 TBR Challenge | 1 Month Check In

We are one month into my tbr challenge which started with somewhere around 140 books so let’s see where we stand 31 days in!

3 books

Enchanted Echoes\ \ Deirdre\ \ • Jan 18

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2026 TBR Challenge | Episode 3

I think we’re gonna play spot the heated rivalry bookmark in every episode of this series #2026tbrchallenge #bookstagram #whatimreading #girlswhoread

2 books

Enchanted Echoes\ \ Deirdre\ \ • Jan 18

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2026 TBR Challenge | Ep 2

Everyone say thank you @alexaracioppi for helping me get this video out 😘 Once I’m back to yapping full time I’ll tell you more about The Dollmakers but until then I’m gonna go make some tea and read while I’m not in a slump ✌🏻 #readingvlog #tbrchallenge #bookstagram #newyorkcreators

3 books

Skies Press\ \ Emma\ \ • Nov 25 2025

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Guess what I've got for you today...\ \ ...\ \ ...\ \ I think that's enough to keep it out of the image preview, so....\ \ \ \ Ta-daaaaa! Subscribers actually got this a couple weeks ago so shout out to you guys for keeping it a secret in the discord.\ \ For those of you who don't know the lore here, let me give you a little background. Yes, you are reading that correct, that says this is announcing the 2024 Best of Books winners. In November. of 2025.\ \ I wish I had a reasonable excuse for this, I really do...but I don't. I genuinely can't even tell you why I didn't release this in January like I was supposed to or why I haven't released it in the many months that these images have been sitting in my Canva projects, but from the bottom of my heart I have no idea. Anyway, it has now been almost a full year since we first started the process of nominating books for our Best of Books 2024 and for the love of god I need this to not be hanging over my head anymore. I say that as though there was literally anything or anyone but my own damn self keeping me from getting this out, BUT THERE WASN'T.\ \ You ever get a text or an email from someone that you don't reply to right away and then you kind of forget about it until it's a few days later and you go "oh my god I need to reply to that" but you've remembered at 1am and that's not a reasonable hour to text someone so you'll do it in the morning, and then you wake up in the morning and for many more mornings until the next time you remember it's suddenly been weeks and now it's awkward but you really should reply to it but you put it off because now you're embarrassed and then the longer you wait the worse it gets so you just never reply and suddenly you've ignored someone you really meant to get back to?\ \ That's normal...right? Anyway that's basically what has happened here and I refuse to have this sitting on my dusty, unseen to-do list any longer so HERE are the winners of our 2024 Best of Books:\ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ And there we have it! I AM FREE. Free to get started all over again on our 2025 nominations...

A SURPRISE ALMOST A YEAR IN THE MAKING (or, ya know, a year late...if you want to be technically correct about it I guess)

13 books

Skies Press\ \ Emma\ \ • Nov 12 2025

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Guess what I've got for you today...\ \ ...\ \ ...\ \ I think that's enough to keep it out of the image preview, so....\ \ \ \ Okay, so if you don't know the lore here, let me give you a little background. Yes, you are reading that correct, that says this is announcing the 2024 Best of Books winners. In November. of 2025.\ \ I wish I had a reasonable excuse for this, I really do...but I don't. I genuinely can't even tell you why I didn't release this in January like I was supposed to or why I haven't released it in the many months that these images have been sitting in my Canva projects, but from the bottom of my heart I have no idea. Anyway, it has now been almost a full year since we first started the process of nominating books for our Best of Books 2024 and for the love of god I need this to not be hanging over my head anymore. I say that as though there was literally anything or anyone but my own damn self keeping me from getting this out, BUT THERE WASN'T. \ \ You ever get a text or an email from someone that you don't reply to right away and then you kind of forget about it until it's a few days later and you go "oh my god I need to reply to that" but you've remembered at 1am and that's not a reasonable hour to text someone so you'll do it in the morning, and then you wake up in the morning and for many more mornings until the next time you remember it's suddenly been weeks and now it's awkward but you really should reply to it but you put it off because now you're embarrassed and then the longer you wait the worse it gets so you just never reply and suddenly you've ignored someone you really meant to get back to?\ \ That's normal...right? Anyway that's basically what has happened here and I refuse to have this sitting on my dusty, unseen to-do list any longer so HERE:\ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ I AM FREE. Free to get started all over again on our 2025 nominations...\ \ Upgrade for $12 or login

Hey, uh...surpriiiiiise!

you'll never guess what's in here

13 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Sep 13 2025

recommending books using their opening lines!!

👗💄: - sweat set is from @comfrt - (also if you have a question about my makeup or something i’m wearing, most of it is curated in my shopmy!)

thank you to Flatiron Books, Heartdrum, William Borrow, Berkley, Tor Books, and Peachtree Teen for the gifted copies!

9 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Aug 2 2025

fantasy books without spice (and minimal romance overall)!

but i know people will still ask if there’s spice every darn time. 😭

#fantasybooks #fantasybookrecs #favoritefantasybooks #noromancebooks #nospicebooks #isitspicy #starrysteph #nycinfluencer #bookstagram #nycbookstagram

14 books

Alyssa’s Library\ \ alyssa\ \ • Jul 31 2025

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I cannot believe we're already over halfway through the year and in AUGUST! Absolutely bonkers to me, this year (especially this summer) is just flying by. These are all the books I read in July with some of my thoughts. It was definitely a slower month for me but I enjoyed most of the books I did end up reading!\ \ TOP 3 READS OF THE MONTH\ \ Can't Get Enough by Kennedy Ryan (5/5 stars) -> i am a firm believer that kennedy ryan can do NO WRONG. this was absolutely phenomenal and everything i wanted in the last in the 'skyland' series. mav and hendrix connected on so many levels, physically and mentally. the way they grew together and individually was absolutely beautiful and mav was SO DOWN BAD FOR HER!! i also adored how this book handled having an aging parent with alzheimer's and the struggles that came with that. highly recommend all the books in this series!\ \ The Lies of Ajungo by Moses Ume Utomi (5/5 stars) -> this was such a pleasant surprise. i was not expecting an 86 page novella to hit this hard oh my godddd. the premise was so intriguing, i loved how we followed a 13 year old boy on a quest in the forever desert in search for water to bring back to his city and save his mothers life. the companions he made along the way, the revelations he had, EVERYTHING about this hit for me. i cannot wait to read the next two in the series!\ \ Voidwalker by S. A. Mclean (4.5/5 stars) -> as a monster romance lover, this hit every box i wanted it to! this was such a fun time and i was absolutely hooked from beginning to end. fi was such a badass fmc who took no shit from anyone, and antal just gives 'looks that they could kill you but is a cinnamon roll'. their dynamic was absolutely hilarious and their banter was everything! this book was such a fun ride and i loooove my bi4bi couple. highly recommend this one when it releases this month!\ \ EVERYTHING ELSE\ \ Out of the Woods by Hannah Bonam-Young (4.25/5 stars) -> i absolutely ate this one up! this follows characters that you meet in 'out on a limb' which is one of my favourite romance books ever. this one also has one of my favourite underrated tropes (marriage in crisis) and it was done soooo well. i loved the couples camping retreat, it was so funny especially because both our main characters are so nature adverse lol. i loved the way they grew individually and together as a couple and were able to work through the issues they were having. \ \ Try Your Worst by Chatham Greenfield (3.75/5 stars) -> this was such a cute sapphic cozy mystery! this is rivals to lovers with our two main characters who ALWAYS prank each other, but when someone else starts pranking them both and our two main characters must work together to figure everything out. the characters were so cute and i loved the representation in this as well. one of my only complaints is that i felt like the ending was a little underwhelming and wrapped up too quickly for my liking. \ \ Lakelore by Anna-Marie McLemore (4/5 stars) -> i didn't know what i expected going into this, but i liked this soooo much! this book focuses so much on identity, and mental health and i felt so seen by both of these characters. the talks about therapy, ADHD, anxiety, and dyslexia were embedded with such care and it was definitely the highlight for me. i wish there was a little more depth to the fantasy aspects of the underwater world and that was incorporated more but i highly recommend this one!\ \ When Among Crows by Veronica Roth (3/5 stars) -> this one was a little disappointing to me. the premise was so interesting and i really with this was a full length novel. i think the magic system and the way it worked was soooo incredible and so much more could be done if it we had more time. the relationship went too fast for my liking and i felt like it wasn't very necessary to the story. i didn't really understand their attraction to each other and i wasn't too connected to the characters but i am interested in reading book 2 when it comes out. \ \ Fate of the Five by Niamh Rose (4.25/5 stars) -> this was suchhhh a great debut! this year i've been wanting to read more books by indie authors and this one was so much fun. the political intrigue, the court dynamics, and the characters were all soooo good. i loooved the potential romance set ups, especially the slow burn MM romance brewing. the YEARNING was top notch and i can't wait to see what happens in the next book! my only gripe is that i felt like there were too many pov's (there were 9) and i definitely had my favourites to read from.\ \ The Gryphon King by Sara Omer (3.75/5 stars) -> okay wow this one was sooo good in so many aspects! i loved how there were monstrous pegasi, gryphons, and so many animals. i wish we got into the lore a little more and saw more of the pegasi specifically but i adored how only women rode them into battle. the romance setup is so intriguing because the sapphic yearning was sooo good but i also think it may turn polyamorous??? sooo intrigured about that! this was action packed from beginning to end with lots of history and i had a great time!\ \ Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas (4/5 stars) -> don't be fooled, this definitely leans more into historical romance than horror. despite that, i had a great time with this one and i was sooo invested in the relationship! néstor and nena's relationship was so tender and i loved how you could feel the love they had for each other from beginning to end. the exploration about the United States invasion in Mexico was so brutal and i felt every emotions the characters were going through. i cannot wait to read more books from this author!\ \ The Lure of their Graves by Laura R. Samotin (4/5 stars) -> This is the sequel to The Sins on their Bones and it did not disappoint! This duology has become one of my favourites to recommend because of it's intriguing / atmospheric setting, the top tier character work, and the mental health representation. I love how it focuses on a main character finding themselves again after a mentally / emotionally / physically abusive marriage. I felt so deeply for Dimitri and everything he was going through with his ex-husband, and how draining that is on your mind and your body. I loved the support system he had as well, you can tell that his friends truly cared about him and his well being. I highly recommend this series but look up trigger warning first!

July Reading Wrap Up + Ratings

11 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • May 11 2025

achillean sci fi & fantasy books that you simply MUST check out!!

achillean sci fi & fantasy books that you simply MUST check out!! do it, okay??

📚 books mentioned: - When Among Crows by Veronica Roth - Ocean’s Godori by Elaine U. Cho - A Song of Salvation by Alechia Dow

thank you to Tor Books, Zando Books, and Inkyard Press/Epic Reads for the gifted copies!

3 books

chronicallybookish\ \ Kaley\ \ • Apr 18 2025

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Shelves and the City BOOK HAUL | part two

9 books

chronicallybookish\ \ Kaley\ \ • Apr 2 2025

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S&TC Day 3 | and that’s a wrap!! 🫶🏻😭

And that’s a wrap!! 🫶🏻😭

I can’t believe this incredible weekend is over! It was indescribably wonderful to meet everyone & explore LA and live out all my bookish dreams. I truly don’t know how I’m supposed to return to real life after this. I miss everyone sm already!

9 books

chronicallybookish\ \ Kaley\ \ • Apr 2 2025

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Shelves & the City Day 2 is in the books! 📚

Started the day at Reparations Club Book Store (and bought a SIGNED copy of Reel by Kennedy Ryan omg) and ended it at Fox Studio Lots with a dance party on the fake (but also sort of real?) streets that music videos & TV pilots are filmed on!

It’s been an absolute BLAST and I cannot believe this is real life 🫶🏻😭

@avonbooks @harpervoyagerus @epicreads @williammorrowbooks

4 books

Tattooed Bibliophiles\ \ Zee\ \ • Nov 13 2024

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If you watch Parks & Rec you may know what "treat yoself day" is, but if you don't, it's one day a year you go to your favorite stores and treat yourself! Now when it comes to Pango...I may treat myself a bit too much. But at these prices I can afford it! Especially when I sell my old books on Pango and get money to buy more books! Here's what I bought, mostly from Carmen @tomesandtextiles, who promotes Latinx books. You should definitely follow her on tiktok and Pango!

Treat Yoself!

8 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Sep 14 2024

one star reviews of books i loved!

which one convinced you the most? 😭 part sixteen of one star goodreads reviews of books i enjoyed!

10 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Sep 7 2024

august wrap up!

you heard it here first (well probably not, but that’s fine) … it’s SEPTEMBER!!! the good part of the year starts NOW!!

so here’s an august reading wrap up - i read 9 books last month, and i’m sharing a speedy reaction to them all.

6 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Aug 9 2024

readathon round up

what’s that? you’re RUNNING to join my Discord so we can readathon together next time? yippeeeeeee - the more the merrier!

2 books

Skies Press\ \ Emma\ \ • Jun 9 2024

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Needed a treat today 😌

Needed a treat today 😌 as opposed to all the other times i go to the bookstore when i just *want* a treat

8 books

Skies Press\ \ Emma\ \ • May 20 2024

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When Among Crows Reading Vlog/Review

I’ve been EXCITED to read this and it certainly lived up to my expectations 😍 When Among Crows is out May 14 and thanks to Tor for sending it my way! 📚

1 book

Skies Press\ \ Emma\ \ • May 20 2024

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New Book Tuesday - May 14, 2024

This was a great bookstore day

8 books

Skies Press\ \ Emma\ \ • May 20 2024

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Quick Book Recs for Quick Books! (novella recommendations)

Y’all always tell me i talk fast but even i feel like im talking at warp speed watching this back 👀

9 books

Not So Well Read\ \ Courtney\ \ • May 2 2024

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May Anticipated Releases

A not-at-all comprehensive list of some of the amazing books coming out in May 2024!

17 books